It's About Falling
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: Robin's long lost daughter turns up looking for him...which means her mother does, too. RxS
1. Chapter 1

**It's About Falling**

Prologue: When it Rains

A young woman walks down a Jump City street hurriedly, urging her small daughter to go just a little faster. It is raining, a furious, cold, unrelenting rain. The woman and her child are already soaked to the bone, and the girl is shivering.

"M-Mommy," she whimpers, stopping suddenly.

Her mother, who has gone on a few steps, turns around.

"Oh, Mar'i," she sighs. She stoops down and picks her daughter up, holding her drenched child to her equally drenched body. "It's OK, Mar'i, we'll be home soon."

The woman's heeled sandals click softly against the wet pavement.

"See, baby, girl, home is right around the corner," the mother says soothingly.

Mar'i smiles up at her mother, deep blue eyes twinkling. "Mommy, can I have grilled cheese?"

"Yes you may have grilled cheese for your supper. But first you're going to dry off properly and put on your pajamas. The ones with the frogs are clean," her mother orders.

They stand in front of their apartment building now. The woman rushes inside, leaving a trail of rainwater behind her. Her sandals clack noisily against the stone steps leading to her apartment.

She sets Mar'i down in front of Apartment 3B. The woman digs through her purse, searching for her house keys. Triumphantly, the young woman holds up a key ring, hanging from which are a number of dull-gold colored keys. She fits one into the lock of the door. It swings open easily.

"Mommy is so sorry she couldn't afford a taxi, angel," the woman murmurs. "But Mommy's boss Miss Evans says the president of a really big modeling agency saw Mommy last week and he wants to sign me. Then Mommy will be able to afford a car, sweetheart."

"Mommy will be famous," Mar'i giggles confidently.

"I don't need to be famous," the woman says, seizing her daughter's hand and bringing Mar'i to her room. "All I need is to get by so I can take care of you." She tickles Mar'i's tummy.

Mar'i giggles hysterically and throws herself onto her "big girl" bed.

Her mother returns Mar'i's smile and crosses the tiny bedroom to the child's dresser. She pulls open a drawer and takes out a pair of pajamas patterned with frogs.

"Mar'i, take off those wet clothes and out these on," her mother commands.

She leaves her child's room and goes to her own. She tugs on a pair of loose-fitting pajama bottoms that had belonged to Mar'i's father and an old T-shirt. The young woman twists up her drenched locks and puts a clip in.

She returns to the girl's room. Mar'i has donned her pajamas and is dancing around her room, singing a song she's made up.

"I'm going to make your dinner now," she tells Mar'i.

Her mother bites her lip and pads barefoot into the minute kitchen.

Watching the sandwiches with a hawk-like eye, the woman allows her thoughts to drift to him. _He_had taught her to make the sandwiches of grilled cheese back when they were teenagers. _He_ was the one the woman dreamed about, after those sandwiches and rooftop discussions. How she missed _him._ How hard she had fallen for _him._

"Mommy?" Mar'i calls, shuffling into the kitchen. "Dinner?"

"Just a minute, Mar'i," the woman responds patiently. "There you are." She slides a perfect golden-brown sandwich onto a plastic plate adorned with kittens.

"Thank you, Mama," Mar'i whispers.

"You are very welcome," the woman says primly. She puts another perfect sandwich onto her own plate. She takes a carton of icy-cold milk from the small refrigerator and pours two glasses. She sinks down into the spindly kitchen chair and instantly feels better. Her feet ache from her long day at the local modeling agency and her long walk in the rain. And Mar'i, her sweet little girl, complained only once, at the end of their journey.

The woman sighs, and Mar'i's face falls.

"Me bad girl?" she asks, worrying her mother's weary expression is her fault.

"No, Mar'i," her mother assures her. "Mommy is just tired."

Mar'i climbs off her chair and walks to her mother, holding out her tiny arms to their fullest extent.

The woman hoists her daughter onto her lap and squeezes Mar'i's fragile form to her body.

"I don't know what I'd do if you were a bad girl," she murmurs. "I'd be sunk."

"Mar'i loves her mommy," Mar'i says. "Bedtime story?"

"I promise." Her mother manages a grin. "Go watch TV."

Mar'i hops down and runs to the apartment's tiny living room.

Her mother sighs again and stares at her now-cold sandwich. "Mar'i is such a good child," she whispers. "She needs her Daddy though."

'_You did the right thing,'_her thoughts reprimand her. _'You know that a baby would be the last thing Richard needed to worry about.'_

"It was for the best," she says aloud firmly. "Mar'i, it's bedtime."

Mar'i allows her thick mane of ebony hair to be brushed out and braided. She is hoping that if she is a good girl her mommy will tell her about the daddy she's never known.

"All done," her mother announces gently, leaning down and kissing the top of her daughter's head. "What story do you want to hear?"

"How did you meet my daddy?" Mar'i demands.

The woman bites her lip. "Well, you know Mommy is from another planet. I was fifteen when I met your daddy," she begins.

Mar'i twists to look at her mother.

"I was to be given to a Citadel as a…prize. But I escaped from those who bound me. Your father broke the handcuffs that made me prisoner. He and some other teenagers, who became our very best friends, helped me to freedom. I was able to live here on earth, with Daddy."

"What happened? Why doesn't Daddy live with us?" Mar'i's feature's form a scowl.

"Daddy was my best friend," her mother explains. "And as our friends began getting married and into serious relationships, Daddy and I were finally able to tell each other how we really felt."

"OK. But why doesn't he ever come and see me?"

"Baby girl," her mother utters softly. "He doesn't know."

"What?" Mar'i gasps. Her sapphire eyes glisten with tears that threaten to spill onto her rosy cheeks.

"It didn't work between us, Mar'i. So, knowing I was pregnant, I left one evening. I haven't seen or heard from him since."

Mar'i's round face, still chubby with baby fat, crumples.

"I-wanna-go-sleep," she wails. "Nigh-nigh."

Her mother quickly plants another kiss on the top of her head. "I didn't mean to make you sad."

She leaves the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. The three-year-old is still hysterical.

'_I can't do anything about it now.'_

Sighing, she goes to her own bedroom. She climbs into bed, exhausted. And Kori Anders shuts her weary eyes.

**TT**

Richard Grayson storms into his apartment. "They can't let Van Horn out on bail," he mutters to himself. "It took me three months to catch him."

The twenty-four-year-old collapses onto his worn-out couch. He fiddles absentmindedly with a hole in the leather.

Turning onto his stomach, he gazes longingly at the picture on the coffee table.

The sun is shining down on Jump City's favorite heroes. They are holding each other close, dancing at Raven and Beast Boy's wedding.

"Why'd you leave me, Kori?" he wonders out loud.

He misses her so much it hurts to breathe.

Richard rolls off his couch and fixes a bowl of cereal.

'_What'd I do wrong?' _he wonders. _'I love her and she knows that. I wish I could find her again.'_

He dumps his empty bowl in the sink. Richard shuffles into his bedroom and changes into a pair of baggy blue pajama bottoms. He sets his alarm clock for midnight (he has to patrol, after all) and scratches his bare chest. He yawns loudly and decides to get some sleep before he leaves to patrol. His last thoughts are of Kori.


	2. Chapter 2

**It's About Falling**

Chapter One: Fathers and Heroes: One and the Same?

"But Mom, why can't I just know his name?" the now twelve year old Mar'i protested.

"Because, I know that as soon as I leave you'll get on the computer and Google his name. He doesn't know about you, Mar'i, we had only one night together. He simply got caught up in good-byes. I see no point in rocking the poor man's whole world. Look, Mar'i, I'm running late. Mr. Alexander is going to fire me if I come in even a second behind schedule."

"But Mom-"

"You'll be alright, correct? There is a box of macaroni and cheese in the cabinet and plenty of soda in the refrigerator. Please tell me you can handle this," Kori pleaded anxiously.

"I'll be fine, Mom."

"Watch television and go to bed by ten o'clock, Mar'i. Make sure you lock the door. I love you, sweetheart," Kori cried hastily as she rushed out of the apartment.

"I love you too, Mom," Mar'i replied. "I'll be fine."

She locked the door after her mother.

"Let's think," she murmured to herself. "I know Mom is Starfire from the Teen Titans. She has to be…"

She makes a quick PB and J sandwich. Mar'i strolled over to the refrigerator, and after pushing aside a bottle of mustard, finds a Pepsi. She crossed the apartment's living room again and sits at her computer.

"The Robin and Starfire Shrine?" Mar'i questioned, staring at the results of her Google search.

Mar'i clicked the site out of curiosity. The website seemed to feature pictures the Titans' fans had taken when the Titans were out and about in town.

"Crazy fans," Mar'i muttered to herself.

There were pictures of her mother and a boy with black hair on a Ferris wheel, ones of her mother and the same boy dancing at a junior prom and even one of them dancing at a wedding-the same Richard had in his apartment.

Mar'i leaned in closer. This had to be Robin, the ex-leader of the Titans.

'_He looks like me,'_ Mari thought. _'Same hair, same nose…even our complexions are the same: pale like a glass of milk…'_

"Meow," purred Mari's kitten Simba. He leapt into her lap.

"Good boy," Mari told him absently. He pressed his head into her stomach. "Do you need to go out, boy?" Mari asked him. Simba purred again.

"Alright. Come on."

Mari let the kitten out of the apartment and returned to the computer.

"I wonder…" she mumbled to herself. "Maybe…"

She scrolled down farther.

_**Boy Wonder and Mysterious Girl Lip-Locking…**_

_**Our Favorite Feathered Friend has Kiss Stolen by Pretty Alien…**_

_**What Would Batman Think of His Young Friend Now?**_

"Weird," Mari breathed.

Under the headlines was a short article.

'_It is believed Robin and Starfire_ did _have a romantic relationship, starting from the day they were found making out in public,'_ Mari read. _'However,_ _Starfire's sudden disappearance, Robin's new persona, and his separation from the Titans imply that it didn't work out between our Boy Wonder and alien friend.'_

"Robin's new persona?" Mari wondered out loud. "Well, whoever he is, he has to be my daddy."

Mari returned the mouse to the top of the page and did another Google search.

'_13 results found for Grayson.'_

"Of course it's ten," Mari grumbled, glaring at the clock. "I'd better get Simba inside."

Mari shut off her computer and wandered outside. "Simba," she called. "Mama has to go to bed now."

Mari sighed when her kitten didn't appear. He was such a playful kitty, of course he was hiding. She raced down the stone steps that led to the street.

"Simba," she hollered again.

And suddenly she was grabbed from behind.

**TT**

Nightwing made his rounds quietly through the Jump City residential areas. There had been a string of robberies lately, scattered throughout the city's living quarters. He hoped to catch the burglar (or burglars) in action.

He squatted on a fire escape outside of an apartment which was, thankfully, dark. Nightwing shivered in the cold winter air, wishing his costume included a cape.

There was a shriek across the street, the shriek of a little girl.

Stealthily, he moved, perching on the very edge of the fire escape. Only years of circus acrobatics and Bruce's hard-core training prevented him from falling.

The little girl was struggling against a much bigger man, who had her arms pinned behind her back.

"Hero time," he said to himself, his breath rising in a mist before him. He sprang from the fire escape, pulling his grappling hook out just in time. It connected with a loud _clang _to a fire escape adjacent from the one he'd been stationed on seconds before.

Nightwing's steel toed boot made contact with the thug's face, breaking his nose easily. This made the man's hands fly to his face, releasing the girl.

"Get out of here!" Nightwing shouted to the girl.

She didn't need telling twice. She ran back to an apartment building and dashed up a flight of stairs and leaned over the rail to watch the fight.

As the man was a common thug, he stood no chance against Nightwing. (A/N Duh…Nightwing is sexy and strong…)

"If you ever come anywhere near her again the consequences will be much more serious than a broken nose," he growled, seizing the man's jacket and lifting him a few inches off the ground. "Do you understand me?"

The man nodded, and Nightwing released him. The girl's assailant scampered.

"Are you alright?" Nightwing called up to Mari.

"I'm fine," she replied, still shaking. "I just want to get my kitty and go to bed."

"You've never seen him before?" Nightwing questioned.

Mari shook her head. "Never. Can I have my kitty now?"

"This him?" Nightwing queried, pointing at the black and white kitten that was rubbing against his ankles.

"Yes," Mari exclaimed happily. She returned to the street level again and gathered Simba in her arms.

"Make sure you lock your door," he told her absently. _'Why does she look like me?'_ he wondered. _'It couldn't be…could it?'_

Nightwing was tempted to watch which apartment the girl went into, just to see who her mother was. What if his suspicions were true? What if her mother was Kor-

"I can't," he told himself harshly. "She's just a girl with black hair and blue eyes who happens to have my nose. That doesn't mean she's my kid."

However, it didn't matter what he told himself; he stayed watching the apartment for another two hours. Around midnight, though it could have just been his imagination, he swore he saw a weary-looking woman who looked remarkably like his Kori trudge exhaustedly into the same apartment the girl had.

'**Ello me duckies…sorry this took so long. I have been rather lazy recently, due to the fact that I now have about one billion TV channels, two of which air the Batman Beyond movie frequently ; ) (And if you read my Rachel/Terry stories, I will be writing another…)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and I'll have chapter 2 up soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**It's About Falling**

Chapter Two: Titan's Tower

"You got rescued by Nightwing?" Kori asked at breakfast the next morning. "You have such an imagination, sweetheart," she said fondly.

"I didn't imagine it, Mom," Mar'i insisted. "He saved me."

"You watch too many movies," her mother said lightly. She gathered a stack of dished sticky with syrup and placed them in the sink. Kori fought back tears. Richard and Cyborg had taught her how to cook when she was around 17, having grown tired of her puddings of happiness. She recalled fondly how everyone had enjoyed the first meal she'd made by herself, spaghetti.

"It's perfect, Star, and I grew up with a gourmet chef," Robin had assured her with his "Just-for-Kori" smile.

"Mom?" Mar'i probed, staring. It was obvious she had been trying to communicate for several minutes.

"Yes?" Kori answered quickly.

"Can I go downtown for awhile?" Mar'i inquired casually. "I'll be back by mid-afternoon."

"I don't see why not," Kori replied, brow furrowed in thought. "Yes, that's fine with me."

Kori disappeared into her bedroom and came back holding a twenty dollar bill. "Buy lunch when you get hungry. But be careful, honey. There are many people who wouldn't hesitate to do something horrible to a pretty girl like you."

"Thanks Mom," Mar'i said, feeling a bit guilty as she accepted the money. She hadn't been expecting this. "I'll be going in a minute."

"Have fun, baby," Kori murmured, hugging Mari close.

"I'll look both ways before I cross the street," Mar'i assured her, smiling.

She ran a brush through her hair again, making certain the snarls have been combed out thoroughly. She wore simply a black T-shirt with a Batman logo and jeans embroidered with tiny purple and black stars.

'_I hope he likes me,' Mar'i_ thought. She snatched up her miniature backpack and stowed her money in the secret pocket.

"Bye Mom!"

Mar'i let herself out and, a bit nervously, ran down the steps to the street.

It was only nine o'clock on Sunday morning, so Jump City was still fairly quiet. A few cars whizzed by her as she began her walk to the bus stop.

It was a five minute wait until the right bus arrived. Mar'i stepped up, deposited her 35 cents and chose a seat at the back.

"Where are you going, dear?" an older woman asked, smiling at the young girl.

"I'm visiting the city. I want to see the Tower."

"Oh, yes. I went there myself once. There are tours of the island itself, and I even got to see them out training. Lovely people, they are. But of course the leader and the pretty redhead have left, haven't they?" the lady rambled.

'_Indeed,' _Mar'i thought. She politely thanked the lady and got off the bus.

"You can do this," Mar'i told herself confidently.

She approached the little dock where the little tourist ferries were moored. Sea spray stung Mar'i's midnight blue eyes, the same as her father's.

"We're closed, miss," a wizened old sailor snapped curtly, hobbling up to her. "But for a small fee I can take you to the island."

"How much?" Mar'i asked suspiciously.

"Like I say, not much. Five dollars, and o' course, a tip, if you please."

"Do you have change?"

The sailor laughed. "Old Charlie's playing with ya, girl! It would be against everything me old ma ever taught me to charge a pretty girl like yourself."

Mar'i sighed in relief. "Thank you, sir," she chirped.

Charlie snorted. "None of this 'sir' little miss. Just Charlie. Come 'ere, girl, my boat is this way."

Mar'i got into Charlie's tiny sailboat, shivering. She wished she had worn more than a T-shirt.

"'Ere ya go, girl. Old Titan's Tower. I hope ya find whatever it is you're looking for."

'_My father,' _she wanted to tell him. "Thank you again, Charlie," she said, smiling.

Charlie saluted and turned his boat around.

Taking a deep breath, Mar'i faced the giant T looming in front of her.

"You're Robin and Starfire's child," she told herself. "You can handle anything."

Mar'i strode up to the Tower and knocked at the door.

**TT**

Richard poured himself his third cup of coffee and frowned as he stirred in sugar. He couldn't get that little girl out of his mind.

"Could I really be a father?" he asked himself for the hundredth time. "There _was _that night with my Kori…and I never even saw her again after I fell asleep. I know I've wished a thousand times over that she hadn't left until I made that offer for her to come with me or that I'd said something first…"

He took a sip of the scalding drink and added more cream. "Much better," he murmured to himself. "Why would she keep a baby from me?"

**TT**

Mar'i was greeted by a tall green man with a little girl slung over one shoulder, giggling hysterically.

"Yes?" he asked impatiently. "Be quiet, Rella, Daddy is talking."

"I-I'm looking for my father," Mar'i stammered.

"He's not here," the man replied shortly.

"How do you know?" Mar'i challenged. She was exasperated.

"BB?" asked a deeper voice. There was clanging on the stairs behind the green man. "Who is it? If it's those Girl Scouts, we don't want cookies!"

"Dude!" Beast Boy squawked. "Some kid is here looking for her dad."

"Her dad?" another voice queried, this one more light and feminine. "I want to see her!"

A woman even taller than Beast Boy wearing a yellow and black shirt appeared in the doorway. She had a kind face, Mar'i thought, with warm chestnut colored eyes.

"See! Her father isn't here," Beast Boy proclaimed.

"You idiot," Bumblebee chided him. "This is obviously Richard's child. What's your name, honey?" she probed, addressing Mar'i.

"Mar'i," Mar'i answered, feeling more at ease.

Both Beast Boy and the metal man's mouths hung open. "She is Richard's kid," the metal one agreed. "I'm your uncle Cyborg," he announced. "And this green idiot is your Uncle Beast Boy and his daughter Arella."

"There'll be time for all that later, Sparky," the woman said dismissively. "Ignore these morons, sweetie. Come upstairs OK?"

Mar'i nodded and followed Bumblebee up the staircase and into the main room, the Operations Center.

"Wow," Mar'i breathed.

"Karen?" drawled a monotonous voice. "Who was at the door?"

Karen Stone squealed. "Look, Raven!"

The woman called Raven stood. She wore a white cloak over a white leotard with a decorative belt hanging on her hips at an odd angle.

"Oh…my…God," she said slowly. She floated over to where Mari and Karen stood and took Mari by the shoulders. "This is Robin's kid," Raven stated.

"No, really? Of course this is Robin's kid."

"Who's your mother?" Raven wanted to know.

Mar'i panicked. "She doesn't know I'm here!"

Raven and Karen exchanged glances. "Oh?" they asked in unison.

Karen moved Mar'i out of Raven's grip. "We'll call your dad if you call your mom, hon," she said reasonably. "We can't have her worried."

"She'll make me go home."

"Don't worry about it," Karen responded. "It'll be taken care of."

Raven brought a cordless phone over to the girl. "What's her name?" she asked again, but Karen frowned and snatched the phone away.

"Call your mother."

Mar'i shrugged and shaking, took the phone and dialed.

Kori's cheerful voice answered on the first ring. "Anders-Grayson residence!" she chirped.

"Mom, it's me," Mar'i said quietly.

"Honey? What's wrong? Do you need me to come get you?"

"N-no," Mar'i spluttered. "You'll never guess where I'm at."

"Where?" Kori demanded.

"Titan's Tower," Mar'i squeaked.

Kori sighed. "Mar'i you didn't."

"I just want to know my dad!" Mar'i screamed.

Vic, who had rejoined the girls a minute before, gently extracted the phone from Mar'i.

"Hi-" he began, attempting to calm the woman who was now sobbing on the other side of the phone.

"V-Vic?" Kori asked in a frightened whisper.

"Kori?"

Karen stared at Mar'i in shock. "Kori is your mother?"

"Uh-huh." Mari nodded.

"OK, Kori, I understand. OK, we'll see you then."

He hung up. "You didn't tell us Kori was your mom."

Mar'i lowered her gaze.

"Anyway, she says she'll be here to get you in twenty minutes."

Raven had taken the phone from Vic and was dialing.

"It's OK, Mar'i, I'm calling your dad."

**TT**

Richard was kicking the stuffing out of his battered punching bag when the phone rang.

He grabbed a towel and patted his sweaty neck dry. "Talk to me," he said playfully.

'_Where did that come from?'_

"Stop being an idiot and get over here."

"Raven?"

"Who else?" she growled.

"What's up?" Richard asked.

"Come and see. Oh, be here in twenty minutes."

**TT**

The six were interrupted fifteen minutes later by someone ringing the bell in several times in quick succession.

"My mom," Mar'i muttered darkly.

Raven and Karen went to answer and Arella shyly moved closer to Mar'i on the couch. "I don't want you to leave, Mar'i," she piped up. "You're cool."

Mar'i smiled at the child. "Thanks. You're pretty cool, too."

Arella giggled again. She was more like her father: happy-go-lucky.

"Your mother's here," Karen announced, trudging up the stairs into the main room again.

Kori was livid. "You're in a ton of trouble, young lady. You asked to go downtown, not to see Titan's Tower!"

"I just want to meet my dad!"

"He changed his name, you know, after you left," Raven drawled. "He's Nightwing now."

"Nightwing?" Mar'i questioned incredulously. "He's my dad?"

Kori glared daggers at Raven, but the other woman was unfazed.

"It doesn't matter; Mar'i and I are going home," Kori snapped curtly.

Mar'i cautiously approached her mother and then threw her arms around Kori's figure, still trembling with fury.

"Please, Mama?" Mar'i asked with childlike innocence, tugging on Kori's slender hand, just as she'd done when she was a little girl.

"No," Kori said firmly.

"Kori?" a new voice joined the others. They all turned to see a tall man dressed in a black and blue uniform. "Wait a minute…you're the girl from last night," Nightwing realized slowly.

Mar'i let go of her mother and ran to him. Instinct told him to pick her up and he did so, still wondering why. "I'm home Daddy," she promised. "I'm home."

**Hehehe…what will happen next?**

**Love,**

**Queenie**


	4. Chapter 4

**It's About Falling**

Chapter Three: Daddy

Nightwing nearly dropped Mar'i in surprise.

"D-Daddy?" he choked. "It's not possible. Because the Kori that I knew and love would tell me about a baby," he added pointedly.

Kori burst into tears. She covered her model's face with her slender tanned hands and ran off, not even knowing where she was headed.

"But it's true," Mar'i whispered, her voice sad. "I'm twelve years old, and my mom said she'd been gone from the Tower a little under a year when I was born. When was the last time you saw her?"

"Nearly thirteen years ago," Nightwing breathed. "Wow…I never thought that we'd had a baby together."

He set Mar'i on the ground gently, as if not to jostle his precious cargo. "I don't even know your name," he admitted finally, after staring her in the eye for several minutes.

"But you definitely have my eyes." He grinned.

"Mar'i," she uttered softly. "I don't want to leave you, ever," Mar'i declared. "I'm not going home with my mom."

Richard glanced around for the others, hoping they'd help him, but they had all left, subtlety giving the Graysons some much needed but not necessarily wanted privacy.

"Mar'i," he repeated in muted tones. "You don't mean that," Nightwing said as an afterthought. "Your mother obviously loves you very much," he added kindly, glancing at Kori, who had rejoined them quietly a moment before.

"I HATE HER!" Mar'i exploded. "I HATE that she kept me from you, Daddy."

Richard grimaced; Kori's tears came too fast and hard to attempt to hide. A sob escaped her perfectly sculpted lips, announcing to Mar'i she'd been there the whole time.

"Mom," Mar'i gasped. "I didn't know you were there; I'm sorry!"

Kori shook her head. "No, Mar'i do not apologize. I am fine, truly."

She walked away, still hiding her face.

"Stay here," Nightwing told Mar'i. "I'm going after her."

**TT**

Kori made her way through the Tower quickly, still not knowing quiet where she was heading. Before she knew it, she was stopped in front of a door marked 'STARFIRE'.

She smiled weakly and stepped inside, the door _swooshing _to allow her entry.

No musty smell of dust hit her delicately sculpted nostrils and her grin became wider. They had missed her, at least enough to air out her room.

"Karen made sure it was kept how you left it," someone said gently behind her. "I mean, after I got dressed…"

Kori frowned as Richard crossed to the windows and pulled the curtains closed, blocking the bright sun. He returned to sit beside her on the still neatly made bed. The mattress creaked under his added weight.

"What happened to us Kori?" he questioned. "I thought that maybe…maybe you could have come with me…"

Kori smiled again; this time a sad one. "I do not know."

"Why did you leave?" Richard demanded.

"You were going to leave me," Kori shot back. "I didn't want to wake up and have you gone; it would have broken my heart."

"And you think it didn't break _mine_?" Richard seethed. "You were just…gone. It was like the night we had didn't even happen!"

Tears streamed down Kori's face. Richard pulled her close and rocked her back and forth gently.

"I'm sorry," he uttered quietly. "I didn't mean that. Do you remember what happened that night?"

"Of course I do," Kori replied, looking offended. "I couldn't forget."

**Flashback**

The alien princess lay sprawled across her circular bed, bored out of her mind. "Perhaps Robin would like to do the hanging out with me," she murmured to herself. She straightened up and was approaching her bedroom door when someone knocked.

"You may come in, Robin," Starfire called cheerily.

"Hey, Star," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in his signature awkward pose. "Cyborg left to go see Bumblebee."

"I believe that leaves us alone," Star said craftily.

"Ha ha," Robin muttered, sitting on her bed. "Anyway, we need to talk."

'_Is he finally going to admit his feelings for me?' _Starfire wondered anxiously. "Of course, friend Robin," she concurred.

"Look, Star," he began. "This is important…Um, I'm leaving."

Starfire stared at him, mouth hanging open. "W-Why?" she stammered. "Did I do something that you do not approve of?"

The expression on her face broke his heart, and he smiled sadly at her. "It's not _you_, Starfire. You're perfect."

Starfire blushed at his compliment. "Then why do you wish to leave me?"

"I left Gotham and Bruce because I didn't want to be part of a team anymore. I never expected to form the Titans, to have you guys as friends…"

"Then why did you stay for all this time? It's been five years, Richard," Starfire seethed.

Robin sighed and peeled off his mask. "I'm sorry, Kori," he uttered softly, pulling her close. "I'm so sorry."

Kori returned his embrace and allowed a few tears to leak from her bottle green eyes and onto his shoulder.

"Hey," he muttered, holding her at arms length from himself. "It's not like I won't see you again. I just want some…time."

"Time," Kori echoed. "Time. But you will come back, yes?"

"Not to the Titans. But to you, yes."

Robin hugged her to him once more and then stood. He was at the door when…

"Robin, wait!"

Richard turned to her again and found Kori flying at him. She knocked him down, cradling his head so he wouldn't be harmed.

"Kor-" he began but was cut off by her lips pressed against his.

"I love you Robin," Kori said fiercely. "I love you."

"I love you too," Richard returned gently. "I-"

"Shh," she chided, reaching for his shirt.

**End Flashback**

Kori was still gathered in his arms, head resting on his shoulder. "I knew," she mumbled finally. "I knew right after that a baby was on the way."

"It's OK, Kor. I won't let you go a second time, I promise."

"But Mar'i hates me," Kori whispered. "She hates me."

"No, she doesn't," Richard corrected her. "She does not hate you."

"Mar'i _said _she hates me. And it hurts so badly. Make the pain go away, Richard. The way only _you _can."

A slight blush crept over Richard's face as he realized what she meant. He moved in closer, about to do as she'd asked, but something stopped him.

"I…can't," Richard murmured, the lower half of his body cursing him viciously.

Kori frowned deeply. "You don't love me either," she wailed, ripping herself out of his embrace.

"It'd be taking advantage of you," Richard told her soothingly. "I couldn't do that."

Kori sniffled. "Stay with me?" she questioned. "I really want to sleep."

"I'll stay," he promised. "I won't move a muscle."

Kori lay down and Richard did the same, arms still wrapped round her tightly. He could smell the scent of her luxurious ruby tresses.

"I love you, Kor," he whispered, but she was already asleep.

**Aw…**

**I'm surprised this got up so quickly…Spring Break does an authoress good, I guess.**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's About Falling**

Chapter Four: Parenthood

Mar'i slumped down on the couch, head in her hands. Someone gently touched her shoulder and she looked up to see Arella standing on the other side of the couch.

"Why are you sad, Mar'i?" she asked innocently. "You look very sad."

"Have you ever told your mom that you hate her, Arella?" Mar'i questioned.

"No," Arella said firmly. "I love my mom."

"I love my mom, too," Mar'i began. "But you see, my mom never told my dad that they were going to have a baby. I always wanted to know my daddy and I said that I hate her because she kept me a secret."

"Oh," Arella gasped. "Your daddy is Nightwing, right?"

Mar'i nodded proudly. "Yes he is."

"I think he still loves your mom," Arella whispered conspiratorially. "Her name is Kori, right?"

Mar'i nodded again. "She's a model, you know."

"That is so cool!" Arella squealed.

"I don't really hate my mom, Arella. I know that she's done a lot for me. She made a lot of sacrifices so I could have nice things."

"I didn't think so," Arella responded, climbing over the side of the couch to sit next to Mar'i. "Do you have powers, Mar'i? I have my dad's powers except my animal forms are purple."

To demonstrate this, Arella turned into a tiny lavender kitten and climbed into Mar'i's lap.

"What a pretty cat," Mar'i cooed. "You know, I have a kitty at home. His name is Simba."

Kitten Arella purred contentedly.

Raven ambled into the room, followed closely by Gar and Vic.

"Hello, Mar'i," she said calmly. "Arella."

Raven seated herself next to Mar'i. The violet kitten rubbed against her mother's knee.

Gar and Vic collapsed on the floor and promptly began fighting over who got to be first player on Mega Monkeys Racing.

"Hey boneheads," Raven snarled. "You have a kid, Gar. And yours is on the way, Vic. Grow up."

"Aw come on Rae," Gar protested. "We're just having a little fun. You remember fun right?"

Raven rolled her amethyst eyes as Kitten Arella placed her two front paws on Raven's leg, demanding with longs meows to be scratched between the ears.

"Yes, I know," Raven murmured absentmindedly. "Where are your parents, Mar'i?"

"My mom ran off crying and…he went to look for her."

"Why was she crying?" Raven queried sharply.

"I was talking to my father and I kinda said that I hate my mom. She heard," Mar'i admitted, a slight blush creeping over her pale skin.

"You look like him, you know," Vic piped up from the floor, pressing the controller's buttons rapidly. "That must have been hard for her, raising you all these years having you look like him, the only one she ever loved."

"I don't really hate my mom," Mar'i defended herself. "But all I wanted was to know my dad."

"They're asleep in her old room," Karen said softly from behind them, placing a delicate-feeling hand on Mar'i's shoulder. "It looks like Kori was crying," she continued.

"Hey baby," Vic said smoothly, pausing the game and holding his arms out to his wife. She folded herself onto his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. "How you feeling, Karen?"

"I feel fine, Vic," she chuckled. "Just like I did when you asked me an hour ago. And the hour before that."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "It's just most likely the only baby we'll have, you know?"

"I know, Sparky. I know. So why was she crying, Mar'i?"

Mar'i turned scarlet. "I was talking to my dad and I kinda said I hate her."

"You hate your mother?" Karen's voice was thick with shock.

"No…it's just an exaggeration. I love my mom but I do hate that she kept me from Daddy," Mar'i explained.

"You should explain that to her," Raven told Mar'i gently. "Kori always took things literally."

"She does," Mar'i agreed miserably.

"Do you think they'll get back together?" Karen gushed. "Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"I hope they do," Mar'i confessed. "And maybe they'll have another baby. I always wanted a brother or sister."

"You already love him, huh?" Arella asked, now back in regular form. "Your dad, I mean."

"Of course I do. He's my dad."

Arella giggled again and settled herself on the floor next to Gar, who placed her on his lap and kissed the top of her head. "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too Rella."

Mari watched the pair giggling together sadly. That was all she'd ever wanted; a Daddy to play with and talk with and laugh with. A Daddy to watch Saturday cartoons with; a Daddy to make her pancakes on the weekends and tell her it was alright when she was scared. In her mind she'd been cheated from this, but that was going to change. She wasn't going home with her mother, no matter what Kori said. Mar'i would stay with her Daddy.

**TT**

Kori stirred late that afternoon. She felt someone's arms around her and was instantly terrified. Her jerking around trying to get free woke Nightwing.

"Kori?" he asked tentatively. "It's just me. Richard," he breathed.

"Richard," she repeated. She turned in his embrace, facing him. Slowly, Kori reached for his mask and peeled it off.

Kori's breath hit him gently, tickling his skin in an oddly seductive way.

"I missed you," Kori said finally. "So much."

"You were never far from my heart," he informed her honestly. "I always hoped I would see you again."

"I was wrong to rip our family apart the way that I did. Please…stay with me. Mar'i loves you."

"She loves you too," Richard said firmly. "We can be a family, Kor."

Kori sniffled and moved closer, burying her face in his shoulder. "You promise, Richard?" she asked, voice muffled.

"I promise. You want to see the others? I think I heard Vic and Gar arguing over Mega Monkeys something-or-other."

"Don't they hate me too?" Kori probed.

"No one hates you. We're all just glad you're back."

Kori smiled thinly. "Thank you, Richard. I am sorry for keeping Mar'i a secret."

"It's going to be fine, Kori. My Kori."

They disentangled themselves from each other and stood.

"Er…perhaps I should do something with my hair," Kori chuckled feebly, glancing in the mirror.

"Take your time, Kor," Nightwing said, leaning against the wall and yawning.

Kori emerged a minute later, hair up in a loose ponytail.

"You look beautiful," he assured her. "Absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," she replied, blushing. "Shall we?"

Nightwing playfully offered her his arm and she took it, staring at her feet as they returned to the main room.

"Mom," Mar'i exclaimed softly, jumping off the sofa and running to her mother. "Mom, I am so sorry! I didn't mean it, honestly. I love you." Mar'i squeezed her mother.

"It's OK, sweetheart," Kori said, stroking Mar'i's long black hair soothingly. "I know."

Mar'i beamed up at Kori and looked at Nightwing. "Can I call you Daddy?"

"Of course you can…on one condition. You let me call you Princess."

Mar'i smiled and threw herself into his arms again, giggling. "That's all I ever wanted."

Karen got off of Vic and ran over to the family. "Kori…guess what?" she gushed.

"What?" Kori chirped.

"Vic and I are having a baby of our own," Karen squealed.

"Oh congratulations!"

Vic grinned proudly. "I guess we get to learn how to be dads together, huh Richard?"

Richard laughed and hugged Mar'i closer. "Yeah I guess we do."

**Aw…**

**OK peeps…just one chappie left!**

**Love **

**Queenie**


	6. Chapter 6

**It's About Falling**

Chapter Five: It's About Falling

An interesting procession marched into the Jump City park.

Arella, who was now nine, led the way, followed closely by Mar'i. Richard and Kori each held a pudgy hand of the one-year-old Christopher, or Topher as they called him. Behind them Vic placed a metallic hand on Karen's shoulder. Two miniature versions of Karen clung to their mother's hips. Raven and Gar brought up the rear.

"OK Tasha, Tanya, go play with Topher," Karen told her daughters, setting them down.

Arella transformed into cheetah form, making Gar think it a challenge. He raced his daughter around the grassy park and then changed back to human form, panting.

"Will you ever grow up?" Raven asked exasperatedly.

"Um…I'm 35 and I haven't yet…so no," Gar responded playfully.

Kori and Richard had laid out the picnic blanket and Topher was playing with blocks on its edge. Tasha and Tanya joined him, smiling excitedly.

Karen joined Kori and Richard as Vic began barbecuing a huge rack of beef ribs and burger patties.

"Don't forget my tofu dogs!" Gar reminded his friend, clapping him on the shoulder and dumping the whole package of the fake meat hotdogs onto the grill.

Raven rubbed her temples and folded herself lithely onto the checkered blanket next to Kori.

Arella hung from the monkey bars as an amethyst colored chimp, swinging easily from bar to bar.

Mar'i, now fourteen, raced over to the swings, where a boy was waiting for her. He was a good looking boy, Mar'i thought to herself, and he was. Chocolate bangs fell into his emerald eyes as he unfolded his broad shouldered form from the swing.

"That's your family?" he asked incredulously. "But they're…Titans."

"You promise not to tell, Eric?"

"Yeah…" Eric's voice trailed off uncertainly. "Wow. Can I meet them?"

"Sure, come on."

Mar'i shyly took his hand. It was callused from his years of karate. She smiled to herself and pulled him over to the picnic blanket.

"So…you're the boyfriend huh?" Richard asked suspiciously.

"Daddy," Mar'i whined. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Humph," Richard snorted. "I was a fourteen year old boy once too, you know."

"Never mind, Richard," Kori said soothingly. "Go on, you two."

Mar'i introduced him to the others and swiped a bag of chips for them to snack on. Little Topher wobbled over to his big sister on slightly unsteady legs.

"Mar Mar."

"Hey Topher," she grinned, tickling her baby brother.

"Topher want chip."

"Fine." She held one out to him. He munched on it happily and sat in her lap.

"Isn't he cute?" Mar'i gushed.

"Yeah."

"LUNCH!" Vic announced loudly.

The group settled in around the huge blanket.

"So Aaron, tell me about yourself," Richard demanded.

"It's Eric, Daddy," Mar'i corrected exasperatedly. "I only told you ten times this morning."

Richard snorted.

"Well…I've known Mari for a few months, sir," Eric began, holding his cheeseburger up to his mouth. He took a bite, swallowed, and looked back at Richard. "I live with my dad and I take karate."

"I like him, Mar'i," Richard said approvingly. "What belt are you?"

"I'll have my black belt in two weeks, sir," Eric answered. He shot Mari a grin. She returned it.

"Eric and Mar'i, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Arella sang loudly. Mar'i glared.

"None of that," Richard said sternly. "Mar'i, I sincerely hope Arella isn't telling the truth."

"No Daddy," Mar'i sighed.

"I'm not telling the truth Uncle Richard," Arella amended. "I'm just saying what Mar'i _wants _to do."

"Arella," Raven said warningly. "Enough."

Mar'i looked mortified. "Mom," she whined. "Can't you make them stop?"

Kori grinned and readjusted Topher in her lap. "You can go as soon as Eric has finished his lunch. But don't go far; Topher will want his big sister to push him on the swings."

"Fine," Mar'i sighed. "I'll just be a nun when I grow up."

"It's too hot to wear black all the time in this city, honey," Kori informed her.

"It's OK, Mar, I finished lunch," Eric said, smiling at her.

They both stood and ambled back to the swings, too shy to talk. Mar'i folded her slim figure onto the first one and Eric sat beside her, not taking his eyes off of her for one second.

"You look really nice today," he said quietly. "And your family is…cool."

"MAR'I!" the twins and Topher sang together, running as fast as their little legs could carry them.

When they little ones arrived, out of breath and red in the face, Mar'i patiently lifted each one onto a swing. Eric helped, pushing them with a genuine smile on his face.

The teenagers pushed the kids for a few minutes when Topher decided he would get off without telling anyone. He climbed off OK, but Mar'i, who had looked away to sneak a glance at Eric, turned in Topher's direction and was smacked in the face with the now empty swing.

Her slender form folded itself onto the sand in a crumpled heap.

"Ooh," the twins said together. "Mar'i is hurted."

"Look, go get Mar'i's mom and dad, OK?" Eric told the girls, stopping the swings so they could get off. "Take Topher, too."

"OK," the girls chorused.

Eric knelt beside her and put her head in his lap. "Mar'i," he whispered, shaking her by the shoulder gently.

"Er…ic?" she slurred.

"Are you OK, Mar?" he asked, urgency in his tone. "You fell."

Mar'i met his emerald eyes with her own sapphire ones. "It's about falling, isn't it Eric?"

"Sure…"

"No, seriously. It's about falling. People fall down the stairs, they fall in love. Life is about falling."

"I guess it is," Eric mused.

"You wanna know a secret, Eric?" Mar'i asked conspiratorially. "I think I'm falling for a boy. The one next to me, actually."

Eric blushed, but couldn't say anything else. Mar'i sat up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and shyly planted her lips over his.

Richard and Kori, who had got up to see their baby as soon as the girls had come back, stopped a respectable distance from their daughter.

"Wow," Richard breathed. "I think she's OK."

"Yeah," Kori agreed. "Let's go back."

"No," Richard insisted. "I think we should make her sto-."

"Richard, let them be," Kori commanded, scooting closer to her husband and resting her head on his shoulder. "They're young, and it's Mar'i's first kiss…"

Richard grunted and wheeled around on his heel. He scooped up Topher and kissed the top of his son's head. "Don't get married, son. I mean that."

Kori laughed, a lovely melodious sound. "She has a point though, our Mar'i. Life is about falling."

Richard's arm slipped around her waist, bringing her closer. "It **is** about falling."

**Hello, mates…**

**Sorry this took so long…I really am. **

**Fin**


End file.
